high-five // girlfriend cupcakes

4 May 2018

Saurus loves to copy Husband. He wants to do everything just like Dad, which I find excessively adorable. But it also gives me an extra chance to tease Husband when Saurus copies the less polite things that sometimes happen. I joke that I’ve taught Saurus all of the manners and Husband has done the opposite.

Husband believed me until the other day when we were driving and a car pulled out in front of us:

Me: SMASH HIM BACK! (this makes sense if you’ve seen Gnomeo and Juliet)Saurus: Smash! Smash him back!Husband, to me: It’s you! You’re the one doing this! You’re the one who teaches him this stuff!Me: I have no idea what you’re talking about.Husband: I knew it!Saurus: Mama’s so funny, Dad.Me: High-five, kid.

Also getting a high-five? These cupcakes. These extra yummy, awesome cupcakes. I’m not really even sure what to call them because there’s just so much going on here and all of it is fantastic: chocolate chocolate chip cake filled with espresso fudge and topped with Nutella frosting. These are one of those things that happen when you’re craving chocolate but don’t want to seem desperate so you make cupcakes “for the office” just so you can lick the extra batter and gooey chocolatey goodness out of the bowls. (Stop judging me). Like when you need to pile all of your darkest food desires into one girls’ night so your Husband won’t know that you can’t stop yourself from consuming your body weight in Nutella and think less of you. It’s one of the best things in life. Next to high-fives.

Fill cupcake wells 2/3 full of batter and bake at 350F for approx 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Move to wire rack to cool.

Espresso Filling

In a heat-proof bowl, stir together cream, espresso, and chocolate chips. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between each, until smooth.

Allow to cool slightly, then beat in mascarpone and vanilla.

Pipe into cooled cupcakes.

Nutella Frosting

Beat butter and mascarpone cheese until fluffy. Stir in vanilla.

Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add in Nutella and fudge filling* and beat until, you guessed it, the mixture is, yet again, light and fluffy.

Add cream or additional powdered sugar to adjust the consistency, if needed.

Pipe onto cooled and filled cupcakes.

Top with sprinkles and chocolate chips

Notes

* I had a few spoonfuls of espresso fudge filling leftover so I added it to the frosting. This is totally optional and up to you how much you want to add but I think I ended up with about 3Tbsp and it was perfect for my tastebuds.